How to repair a dodgy Windows update

Fixing your collective update woes

By Chris Byers | PC Advisor | 09 September 10

FORUM QUESTION My desktop PC, my laptop, my partner's laptop and my mother-in-law's laptop have all started freezing just after startup. We haven't installed any new software on any of them and they are in separate locations. The only thing they all have in common is the Windows updates that have been applied. Any idea why this should be or how to get around it? I've resorted to manually powering down and rebooting the computers.Chriscross72

HELPROOM ANSWER Windows updates can, and sometimes do, cause problems. It's surprising that the issue is affecting all the family PCs at once, though. The simplest fix is to use System Restore on all the affected computers to roll them back to an earlier time.

Restart the PC and press F8 before the Windows login screen appears to enter Safe mode. Next go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore and follow the step-by-step instructions to roll back each machine to a time before the updates were installed. See our Troubleshooter on using System Restore on the cover DVD for step-by-step instructions.

This question was first published in the Helproom forum. Read the full thread here.

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